Drago snubs Rollers, joins Tafic

Publishing Date : 19 June, 2017

Author : KETUMILE RAMATITI

Tafic have snatched Dragjolio Stanjolovic from right under Township Rollers’ nose and have signed him as head coach on a two year deal. Rollers had wanted the Serbian to join them as technical director.

It is expected that with the former Sankoyo Bush Bucks coach now having joined Tafic, their operation galila will be a success. The agreement between the two parties was concluded this Wednesday after months of searching by the Francistown side. The nomadic Serbian mentor got the nod ahead of highly decorated coaches including Major David Bright, Daniel Nare and Mlungisi Kopi who were also in the race to lead the Matjimenyenga’s technical bench.

Dragjo who arrived in Botswana in 2013, through Mochudi Centre Chiefs is tasked with ensuring that Tafic avoid relegation in their first elite league season. According to those tasked with hunting the right man for Tafic, Dragjo’s name has always been in the list despite being outshined by other candidates. It is said his technical acumen and the passion for football were the virtues that convinced the committee to give him the nod ahead of the rest.

The charismatic coach according to the cagey manager Carlos Motaung was one of those who applied for the Tafic job. “We wanted someone with A license and he has it, also with a good feel of local football. Besides, even his background shows that indeed he is a good coach,” he said on Thursday morning.

Although Motaung was cagey and would not confirm the deal with the Serbian only saying: “we are still negotiating and hopefully before the end of today we would have agreed.” Sources however maintained to this publication that the agreement was reached earlier this week. The committee had also already taken Dragjo to the team’s training grounds to meet the players, the sources revealed.

“It is only unfortunate that he hasn’t achieved anything tangible with any of the sides he has been with but all in all his direction and idea is visible. Again Dragjo is one coach who understands each and every team in the premiership, he attended all the games and that is why we deemed it right to give him responsibility as we don’t want to be chopped on our first season,” said a source on Thursday.

Other team business, including trimming and reinforcing of the team will be done once the coach has officially started his work. Thus far, the team is being led by Elias Chiyemba who will be Dragjo’s assistant. However it appears the team will be heading to Zimbabwe for recruitment of players. Dragjo has reportedly turned down an offer from Township Rollers who wanted him to come on board as technical director in their transformational plan, in favour of the Tafic offer. The Serbian coach has formerly plied his trade with a number of premier league teams like Chiefs, Extension Gunners and Sankoyo Bush Bucks, where his contract expired last month.